BBL6 Game 22 Recap - Melbourne Stars v Adelaide Strikers @ MCG
Melbourne Stars 8/153 (19.3 Overs) Defeated Adelaide Strikers 8/152 (20 Overs)
Stars Sneak Home In Another Last Over Thriller
We have had quite a few last over thrillers in BBL6, and last night was no different as the Stars snuck home by two wickets against the Strikers at the MCG. Set a moderate 153 for victory, the Stars produced their worst batting performance of BBL6 to date to slump to 6/107 after the needless run out of set batsman Kevin Pietersen (32). However, they found an unlikely hero in Ben Hilfenhaus (32n/o) who combined with Even Gulbis (22) for a 37-run 7th wicket partnership, to leave the Stars 9 runs to win from the final 10 balls. Hilfenhaus held his nerve after the loss of Gulbis, chipping Michael Neser over the infield to secure the winning runs with three balls to spare. Earlier in the night, Ben Dunk (36) once again top scored for the Strikers. However his dismissal saw them slump from 1/52 after six overs to 4/97 in the 14th over. Scott Boland led the charge for the Stars with 4/30 while young spinner Liam Bowe impressed on debut with 1/21 from 3. The Stars have now secured back-to-back wins for the first time in BBL6, sitting at 3-2 and up to third position with three rounds to play.
Hilfenhaus An Unlikely Hero
It’s not often bowlers are required to get teams over the line with the bat in T20 cricket these days. If a team’s bowlers are required to act, it’s likely that team might be on track for a heavy defeat. However, Ben Hilfenhaus defended his First Class batting average of 12 last night to score a crucial 32n/o to lift the Stars over the line after they appeared in desperate trouble at 6/107. You could say there wasn't a lot of method to Hilfenhaus's batting, however he stuck to his strengths and backed himself right through until the end. Even though he swung himself off his feet at times, he hit plenty of balls along the ground and was able to rotate the strike when he couldn't find the boundary. I thought Number 8 in the batting order might be one or two spots too high for Hilfenhaus, however he proved this doubter wrong last night by hitting the ball hard and often. He made a smart decision to really target Wes Agar in the 3rd last over. Agar had been the Strikers’ most expensive bowler and Hilfenhaus launched into him, including a crucial last ball of the over 6. This then released the pressure and he was able to chip the ball around in the final two overs with less than a run a ball required. Many tail enders panic in these sorts of pressure situations and lose their head, however, after losing both Gulbis and Boland, Hilfenhaus reined himself in a bit and played sensible shots instead of attempting another big slog.
Strikers Batting Woes Continue
After back-to-back final’s appearances, the Strikers appear destined to miss out this season and the main reason for that has been their limp batting performances. Outside of Ben Dunk who has been outstanding, they just have not had the aggression or ability to hit boundaries as some of the better sides have in BBL6. Last night, after a positive batting Power Play, they went over 50 balls without hitting a boundary, which consigned them from a score on target for 170 to just 152. With Travis Head not firing during his four games and Kieron Pollard have a wretched tournament with the bat, it has left the Strikers to deal with mediocre totals with the side only twice scoring over 160 from six games. Last night Jake Weatherald, Tim Ludeman, Brad Hodge and Kieron Pollard all made starts, however none of them had a strike rate over 115. It wasn't the easiest pitch to bat on with the ball not coming on to the bat, however, with the platform that was laid, the Strikers really cost themselves 10-15 runs which would have made all the difference in the end.
Laughlin and Sodhi Nearly Pull Off Great Escape
Missing Billy Stanlake, Chris Jordan and Travis Head, the Strikers could've been forgiven for giving up and lying down with only 152 runs to defend against a power packed Stars’ batting line up. However, their bowling unit did a fantastic job, putting up an excellent fight, and were probably unlucky not to come away with a crucial victory which would have kept them right in the final’s race. Instead, they now sit at 2-4 and, with a negative differential, need to win their remaining two games and hope results go their way if they are to sneak into the finals. Ish Sodhi was particularly impressive on debut for the Strikers. The Kiwi leg spinner flighted the ball nicely and varied his speed, bowling with great control to claim first up figures of 2/25 from 4 overs. Ben Laughlin once again was outstanding in claiming 3/19 from his 4 overs. Laughlin is one of the best T20 bowlers in the world when on song, with his combination of change ups and yorkers and ability to out-fox the batsman. The Strikers have put together three excellent bowling performances out of their last four games, limiting sides to under 160.
Lurker Survives To Go 15-7
The Lurker was on the canvas last night, and with the Stars collapsing he appeared headed for a first 3-game losing streak. However, Hilfenhaus' heroics got The Lurker out of the dog house for a night at least. He also landed his bizarre Stars to get over 25.5 runs with their opening partnership double as Wright and Quiney put on 44 for the opening wicket. The Lurker has another tough one tonight with the Scorchers travelling to Brisbane to take on the Heat with both sides missing some key players. Which way will be lean?